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Venom Priest
The Venom Priests were a cult that operated in the Andris area from the Year 429 to 430. The green-robed priests were known for their affinity for all things poison, from spells to beasts to sickles. They also were fond of bracken, and always had a healthy supply of bracken seeds on hand. Their goals and ideology are still largely unknown, but they hated the city of Andris, and considered all of its inhabitants as ‘intruders’. Emergence A few months before the venom priests began their attacks, poison beasts began to spring up around the forests of Andris, an area where they could not be found beforehand. Quietly, the Andris Senate began investigations into the matter. Then one day in the Sleeping Moon of Year 429, just outside the west gate of Andris, the first of the venom priests was spotted. The citizens of Andris tracked him to Crescent Island, where he was found feeding his poisonous pets. When asked about the recent appearance of poison beasts, the priest became hostile, summoning bracken and various poisonous creatures to fight for him. The priest was soon chased off the island, but the troubles were just beginning. Later that same day, another venom priest – possibly the same one – attacked the gates of Andris. Another battle ensued, but this time the priest was slain. Before he died, however, he mentioned that he was merely a servant of someone much more powerful than he. In the following days, encounters with venom priests were commonplace. Around the same time, it was announced that a new Senator had been elected: Natis Fieltler. Senator Fieltler took it upon herself to spearhead the campaign against the Venom Cult. Sometimes, the senator was even known to participate in the battles herself. Fieltler initially attempted to work in secrecy, so as not to alarm the populace. She instructed the guard force to stay silent about the growing threat, and referred to the priests as mere ‘rumors’. But one day, an off-duty guard revealed her plans under the influence of alcohol, referring to the priests as “Greenies”. This incident, plus the growing number of attacks, soon led Fieltler to abandon any hopes of secrecy. During one of the attacks, a venom priest spoke in passing about an “offer from the other city”. The Senate assumed that this was referring to Mirith, putting additional strains on the tense diplomatic relationship that existed between the two cities. And on another occasion, one of Marthonis’s Bone Lords assisted in fending off a venom priest attack. From the Bone Lord’s attitude, it became apparent that Marthonis was not terribly concerned about the upstart cult. As the attacks dragged on, suspicions arose that the priests were operating from some magically sealed cave that could only be reached by teleportation. But at the time, there were no known caves on the Andris continent. The priests also had a surface base of sorts, in the form of Crescent Island. The population of poisonous creatures there remained very high throughout much of the conflict, and at times the coast was guarded by a thick line of bracken. Adventurers who came to the island were almost sure to run into a venom priest or two. In response to the problem, the Andris Guard had a sign posted near present-day Morganstown, warning travelers about the heightened dangers of visiting the island. Defeat At some point, Senator Fieltler began collecting bracken seeds from the defeated priests for a secret project. As the public would later learn, bracken seeds were the key to teleporting to the venom priests’ cave. But the seeds had to be used in conjunction with a certain magical device. Senator Muqities attempted to construct his own version of this device, but the project failed, perhaps because his work required the use of Black Magic. As luck would have it, the venom priests’ device ended up in the hands of Roth of the Merchant’s Guild. Roth used it to visit the venom priests’ cave in the Growing Moon of Year 430, and in doing so accidentally provoked a massive attack on Andris. After the invasion was repelled, a remorseful Roth entrusted the device to Fieltler. Not wanting to waste a moment, Fieltler decided to strike the Venom Cult while they were weakened. The senator teleported everyone to the small cave, where a great battle ensued. Eventually, the venom priests and their ringleader Venudious were destroyed. Fieltler summoned the combatants back to the castle to take part in yet another momentous occasion: the formation of the Andris Vanguard. Over the course of the conflict, the citizens’ desire for a vanguard had grown to the point of clamor. With their wish granted, all that remained was to elect a leader. This turned out to be Alys, who had been a steadfast defender of Andris throughout the war. Resurgence The Venom Cult resurfaced after four years of silence. This time around, Senator Fieltler would not be taking part in the fight, as she had been kidnapped by pirates. The remnants of the Cult had formed an alliance with a new organization known as the Division of Diabolical Devices (or D.D.D.). Unbeknownst to the venom priests, the D.D.D. had entered the pact only so that they could acquire the powers and magical artifacts of the old priesthood. Late in the year 434, the Senate tasked a group with exploring the old venom caves, using the device still in Andris’s possession. Sure enough, the minions of the venom priests were waiting inside. The force from Andris gained the upper hand, but several high-ranking priests managed to flee the scene. After the last venom priest evacuated, a brigand mage claimed the cave for the D.D.D. To that end, he dismantled the venom priests’ portal, ensuring that the Cult could never return. But the Diabolicals’ claim proved to be very short-lived, as the mage was promptly slain by the Andris task force. Not long after the battle, a venom priest was found outside Andris, teaching his craft to another wizard of the D.D.D. It would appear that the Venom Cult was still unaware of the Diabolicals’ ulterior motives. And it would also appear that neither of the two groups had access to the old caves, as the only remaining way to get there would be through the bracken seed device in the possession of the Senate. Another four years passed with no sign of the priests. But late in 438, as the Diabolical Infiltration of the cities was getting underway, talk of venom priests stirred again. Hunters in the Pixie Cave outside Andris had run into a Diabolical artificer who was searching for the old venom cave, as well as more artifacts. At first, it was widely assumed that the venom priests were returning again, as unusually large hordes of spiders, gooeys and other poisonous creatures had been ravaging the lands. But it turned out that the Diabolicals (namely Csilith) were behind all of the venomous activities, having learned enough to recreate the lost power of the Venom Cult. Still, this power was not enough to stop the infiltration plot from being foiled early in 439. The venom priests have not been seen or heard of since. References Late 429 – [http://oberin.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=1236 Musings on Priests of Venom] 430 Growing Moon Day 8 – [http://oberin.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=1322 Senators on walk.] 430 Growing Moon Day 69 – [http://oberin.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=1337 Defeat of the Venom Priests] 430 Bleeding Moon Day 26 - [http://oberin.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=1402 A meeting regarding the Andris Vanguard] 432 Dancing Moon Day 137 – [http://www.oberin.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=3331 Venomous Search for a Rare Flower] 434 Sleeping Moon Day 155 – [http://oberin.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=4691 Report to Andris Senate/Venom Priest cave] 434 Sleeping Moon Day 218 – [http://oberin.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=4712 Venom Priest in Andris!] 438 Sleeping Moon Day 205 – [http://www.oberin.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=6470 An Artificer & Talk of Venom Priests] 439 Waking Moon Day 1 – [http://www.oberin.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=6496 A Letter to the Andris Senate] 439 Growing Moon Day 107 – [http://www.oberin.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?id=6158&p=4 In Vino Veritas - the Truth (or part of it) at last!] (2nd post) Tome of the Lost – [http://oberinlore.blogspot.com/2010/03/poisonous-priesthood.html A Concise History of Venom Priests] Category:Historical Event Category:Quest Character Category:Associations, Structures, and Crews